Dare
by KBear143
Summary: Three years, a lot of champagne, and a dare. A cute little one-shot that drifted into my mind. (Insert all normal disclaimers here) - Rated M, but not overly graphic.


"You must be drunk. Or crazy. How do you come up with this shit?" I asked as George Luz grinned at me.

"You saying you're scared?"

"No. I'll play. I just don't know where you come up with these ideas. It's kinda scary."

"Alright, boys! She's in!" I heard some laughs and some cheers, and the group settled on the bunks around our table to play as George shuffled the cards.

His idea was simple enough. Poker, albeit with his own perverted twist. The lowest hand had to either remove an article of clothing or accept a dare from the winning hand. The depths of his sick genius never ceased to amaze me, but it was V-E Day. We had a few days off and plenty of alcohol on hand, and we were long overdue for a little fun, so I figured, "why the hell not?"

A few hours later, we were all tipsy and laughing, and most of us were down to our skivvies or close to it. I was leaned back across my bunk with my bare legs draped across George's lap as I checked out my cards.

"How many do ya want, Kat?" I held up a finger and tossed my discarded card toward my feet. He slid the new card down my leg, and I tried to pretend it was the chill from my limited clothing that was giving me goosebumps, but Joe caught my eye and smirked knowingly.

"Alright, show 'em," Joe announced. "Oops, looks like I win again… and you lose, Luzzy."

He cursed and I laughed. I loved watching his own evil creation come back to bite him. Joe's dares were always brutal, but it was either that or another item of clothing. He was already down to his underwear, which I had to admit was a pretty nice sight. I'd seen him in his PT gear, but I never dreamed that there was that much compact muscle hiding under those clothes. I shook my head to clear my brain. Three years with the guy and I was blushing at the thought of his body. Where the hell had that thought even come from?

"Well, I sure as hell ain't dropping my drawers in front of her, so let's have it Joe… do your worst."

Joe was thinking hard, surveying the room as he took another sip from a bottle of champagne.

"Aw, hell, this oughta be good," I heard Popeye laugh.

Perconte chimed in, "Ha! Joe will have him kissing Webster or something!" The group chuckled, but Joe's eyes snapped to Frank and that mischievous smirk curved his lips. Webster sent Perco a dirty look. George looked nervous.

"No. Hell no. There isn't enough champagne in this country to…"

"Kiss Kat."

"I told you, I'm not kissing that guy… wait, what?" George was stunned. Jaws dropped around the room, including mine. Joe just nodded his head casually in my direction.

"There's your dare. Kiss Kat."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. But I don't mean some cheap little peck, George. I mean a kiss." I could see a smile playing at the corner of his lips and, in that moment, I truly hated Joseph D. Liebgott. George, however, was completely unaware my predicament and just shrugged his agreement. In comparison with what he had thought Joe might come up with, kissing me should be a walk in the park.

The other guys remained unconvinced of the brilliance of Joe's dare as well, so they watched in silent curiosity as George grabbed my legs and pulled me so that one of his arms was around my waist, and I was almost sitting in his lap. We looked at each other for half a second, and then both took big swigs out of our bottles as if that would somehow make all of this less embarrassing.

"Okay," George said, suddenly hesitant.

"Okay," I replied, fidgeting.

"Dammit, will you two just kiss already so that we can get on with the damn game?"

Thanks for that, Perco. Very helpful. George shot him a look over my shoulder and then looked back at me, leaning in slowly. Too slowly for Joe's taste, apparently, because he thumped the back of George's head, causing him to jump the rest of the way forward and meet my lips.

Oh. My. God. Why the hell does this feel so natural?

I didn't notice when my hand had gone behind his neck, or when his had tangled in my hair. But I couldn't miss the light brush of his tongue along my lower lip or the small rumble of satisfaction in his chest when I met it with my own. I don't know how long we sat there, but I had completely forgotten that there was anyone else in the room.

That is, until I heard Popeye.

"What the fuck?"

George and I pulled apart, breathless and dazed. The others were staring at us, incredulous, except for Joe, who just grinned and winked at me as he lit another cigarette.

"You're welcome," he mouthed over George's shoulder. I narrowed my eyes at him, and the rest of the room quickly erupted back into drunken banter as Perconte shuffled the cards. I stood up quickly, pulling on my trousers, t-shirt and boots.

"Deal me out, guys. I'm gonna take a walk."

"Aww, c'mon Kat! Don't leave," Malarkey pleaded. "I don't wanna look at all these guys in their underwear!"

"I'll be back, Don. Promise. Just need to stretch and get out of the smoke for a bit."

I stepped out into the late night air, took a deep breath, and started walking slowly down the dirt lane that cut between the buildings. After a few minutes, I could hear the crunch of footsteps behind me in the darkness and spun, pulling my trench knife in preparation for an attack.

"George! You got a death wish? What the hell are you trying to do, sneaking up on me like that?"

"Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he answered, holding his hands up in surrender.

I put my knife away and leaned against the building, crossing my arms. "So, did you want something?"

"I just, um… What the hell was that in there?"

"What? Joe being a jackass? It's been three years. You oughta be used to that by now."

"Kat, you know what I mean."

I leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes, and sighed. "A kiss, George. It was a kiss. You know… two people put their lips together…"

"Shut the hell up." He was standing in front of me now, and surprisingly close. I looked up at him in stunned silence, and he continued, "That was not a kiss. That was THE kiss. Maybe the best kiss I've ever had in my life. And what I want to know, Kat, is where the hell that came from."

I stared at him, unable to formulate a response as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, pulling back slightly and waiting for me to protest. When I didn't, he closed the distance between our lips again, his hands on the wall on either side of my face.

He nipped at my lower lip, causing me to gasp and giving him the perfect opportunity to slide his tongue against mine. My arms found their way behind his neck again as I hummed my approval and his hands dropped to grip my hips, pulling so that our bodies were flush as he leaned me back against the wall.

"Why have I never done this before?" he mumbled against my lips, then kissing down my jaw and neck. "God, Kat. I just want to clear everybody out of that room and have my way with you."

I felt his hand slide under my shirt and his thumb run across the underside of my breast, and I bucked my hips against his.

"I'd kill for a hotel room right now," he groaned, catching my hips and holding them against his. If what I felt there was any indication, he had to be in pain. "I want you so bad I can taste it."

My mind was foggy, dazed from a kiss that I'd wanted a lot longer than I was willing to admit to myself. I began backing toward a side door in the building next to where we had been, pulling George with me into a small room that Doc and I had been using as an aid station.

When he realized that we now had complete privacy, he almost ripped my shirt over my head and threw it to the floor, quickly adding his own before crashing his lips to mine again. He popped the clasp on my brassiere and added it to the pile, and suddenly we were both down to our underwear again. It felt like his hands and his mouth was everywhere at once, and we tumbled back across the cool sheets of the extra bunk that had been added to the room.

"I have a confession to make, baby," he whispered in between kisses. Baby? When did he start calling me baby? "I've had dreams about this. So many dreams. I just never thought… Just, if you're gonna stop me, please do it now… I don't know how much longer I can hold out."

I slid my fingernails down his back and over his perfect rear, taking what remained of his clothing with me as I went. He looked down at me with serious eyes.

"How long have you…?"

"Since Toccoa, George. Isn't that ridiculous? I've been falling for somebody for three years, and it takes a stupid dare to get me to realize it. Shit, I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"Best pack of cigarettes I ever spent."

"What are you talking about?"

"I had to bribe him because he didn't want you pissed off at him. I gave Joe a pack of smokes to make that dare."

"Why?"

"Because I had to. Because I'm in love with you, and because I didn't have to courage to do it on my own. The dare just gave me an excuse."

"You…" He interrupted me with another kiss as he removed my panties.

"Shhh. You can argue with me later. Right now, just let me be with you."

A nod from me and we were one. It was a sense of completion unlike anything I'd ever known, and from that moment until this, as I place our new son into my husband's arms for the first time, I have felt completely at home.

"Damn. Poor kid looks just like George."

"Shut up, Perco."


End file.
